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Phulubits
History Phulubits were one of several races to emerge from the wilderness of Inis Mona, but are far and away the most successful. Shortly after migrating out of their original island, they colonized large sections of The Eastern Sea's floor as well as the eastern shores of The Northland. (Little known among the phulubits, their old king, Phulubulubus set out on his own to discover new lands for his people several years before this mass migration-unfortunately, he was not understood by the peoples of Haven and was put on display in the zoo where he was murdered by Chompski shortly thereafter. The only groups to know this truth are the Iron Helix Syndicate and The Cult of Phuluth.) The Phulubits claimed much of the open land between the shores and Haven's center, which made them unlike their allies in that rather than being overrun or opressed by the dominant forces of the humans, they viewed the humans as the inferior force to be conquered. After fortifying their Phulubit Quarter with their own sandstone walls, they joined their forces with the Owlbears and the Arachne to bring down the humans. This triple alliance chose to strike during a battle being fought between the humans and a rampaging colossal Phoenix, but despite this opportunistic surprise attack, they were repelled. This shocking defeat finally brought the phulubits to the realization that the humans were not, in fact, an inferior native race to be crushed and built over. They agreed to peace terms in which they would aid in the reconstruction of the city and receive political representation. In the new system of government, the Tetrarch, the Phulubits' king Phululius Caesar represented them. During the second great destruction of Haven, the Leviathan Impact, the Phulubits were almost entirely unaffected. Their citizens had time to escape to their cities deep underwater, and the surface city that was washed away was easily rebuilt by the remarkably industrious phulubits. The Phulubit Quarter of Haven, now disconnected from the city and Havenic Empire, evolved to become the new Phulubit city of Phulubos. Personality To phulubits, nothing is as important as physical strength and honor. Phulubits will not truly respect anyone that cannot hold their ground with them in single combat. The phulubits have an unbelievably complex hierarchical social order: each Phulubit living occupies one notch on a massive ladder, and if they defeat a phulubit in higher status, they receive that phulubit's shell (his/her mark of status) with the loser being forced to occupy the lower status that was vacated. On rare occasions, when the king selects a new shell, the queen will adopt his new shell, the highest general will take hers, and so on down the chain until all phulubits have moved up one position in society. In this confusion though, many low-shelled phulubits will take the opportunity to rob shells out of turn, and so this event, called the Shell Cascade, will often leave phulubit communities entirely changed. Physical Description Phulubits are simply giant, intelligent hermit crabs. Their size varies greatly, from 3 feet tall to 20 feet tall, and because of their shells they are typically extremely heavy. Their exoskeleton and shell can be nearly any color, and the shell can be nearly any shape. A phulubit's shell's shape and color symbolize his or her place in the great hierarchy. Relations The Phulubits are allied with all the races of Haven, but are especially close with the Owlbears. They respect their size, strength, and combat prowess. Alignment Because of the pervasiveness of Shell Law throughout all phulubit societies, nearly all Phulubits are lawfully aligned. Most are neutral as well, but champions and villains exist even in this strict caste system. Lands While originally hailing from the island of Inis Mona, the Phulubits' true homelands are the city of Phulubos (formerly the Phulubit Quarter) and the seabeds of The Eastern Sea. Religion The phulubits of old would tend to worship their king as a god, but this tradition is a dying one. Most phulubits follow the teachings of a mighty demigod phulubit cleric named Phuluxos. Phuluxos is Lawful-Good and teaches the importance of physical strength, honor, honesty, and respect even for the weak. Language Phulubits speak both Common (although their mouthparts create a bizarre accent that most Common speakers cannot stand to listen to) and Phululish. Because of the anatomical difference between humanoid and phulubit mouths, only phulubits can speak Phululish, though there are scholars that can understand it as well as read and write it. One notable quirk that many will observe of Phululish is that every word begins with the prefix "Phulu," including names, nouns, adjectives, verbs, and all parts of speech. Adventurers Most Phulubit adventurers will take up the path of the Fighter, though the increasing spread of the word of Phuluxos has made the paths of the Cleric and Paladin into popularity as well. Phulubit Racial Traits * +2 STR, +2 WIS, +4 CON, -2 DEX, -2 INT, -4 CHA * Natural Armor +4 AC *Size Class: Varies *Special Abilities: Underwater Breathing, Withdraw (hide in shell for added +4 AC boost, can't attack) Category:Races